Food Review: The Ship Inn, Wokingham

Wayne Brooks, the landlord of The Ship Inn, with his pictures of Old Wokingham.

The Ship Inn has long been a destination watering hole for sports fans and famished folk looking for some delicious pub grub.

New landlord Wayne Brooks has worked hard to maintain the pub’s good reputation and two years on he is still hitting all the right notes for regulars.

Pictures of Wokingham in the past have been hung proudly on the walls to celebrate the town’s heritage and the Ship’s historic importance to the town.

First-time visitors to The Ship will be struck by its traditional pub setting, but don’t let that fool you, this pub has not allowed itself to be left behind.

As well as showing all the sporting favourites, the pub has updated its menu to keep the traditional pub favourites while introducing some new dishes that have already proved a hit with diners.

On our visit to The Ship Inn, The Wokingham Times team enjoyed a good selection of the menu while enjoying the pub’s relaxing and sociable atmosphere.

A slightly unusual find on the traditional pub menu is Mexican favourite chilli enchiladas but the dish proved a welcome addition.

Served piping hot, the meal was hearty and filling with tasty chilli dripping in a rich tomato sauce accompanied by kidney beans nestled alongside the meat.

The filling, packed with flavour, was wrapped in a tortilla and baked with layers of cheese and more sauce flowing over the top to create a Mexican masterpiece which is guaranteed to keep you warm against the winter chills.

The chilli had a spicy kick without being too overwhelming and the dish was served with a handy pot of sour cream on the side to cool down any firey tongues.

Served with a salad garnish there was just enough food in the two tortilla wraps to keep you full but also leave you wanting to come back again for more.

The pub favourite surf and turf was done very well.

Served on a rectangular plate with the various different parts of the meal in a line it featured crunchy, tasty coleslaw made using sour cream rather than the traditional mayonnaise.

I thought this worked well, but traditional coleslaw fans may not be keen.

A good amount of scampi were delicious, with light batter, tasty prawns and not too greasy.

The chips were mega-crispy and again not swimming in oil.

The medium rare steak probably came medium, but nonetheless was very succulent and tender.

The steak and chicken combo was so good it left the three of us wanting more of both.

The ribs were small but coated in a sticky but not-too-sweet barbecue sauce and the chicken breast was juicy, tender and spiced with a tangy Cajun seasoning.

The large rectangular plate was finished off with crispy chips, button mushrooms, a tomato which was properly grilled rather than just warmed as you get in some places, and a pot of crunchy coleslaw.

It was a big enough meal to satisfy a hearty appetite but not the sort of extravagant pub portion that can result in the diner being left bloated for days.

Two of our party had burgers loaded with stilton, bacon and mushrooms. They were quite impressive portions but both polished off their burgers with ease, suggesting the taste was bang on.

So two years down the line it looks like The Ship’s fine reputation is in no danger of being sunk.

Definitely a pub to try out whether you fancy a good value meal out or cheering on your favourite team alongside fellow fans.